Skate through life without injuries

Published 1:00 am, Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships always inspire some parents and young adults to visit sporting goods stores to buy skates and sweaters, and to find teachers for themselves and their children.

Some will wonder whether they also need to buy splints, bandages and aspirin.

That all depends on what level of skating you plan to tackle, physicians and teachers say.

Injuries and health problems for skaters slide in two directions: those for competitors and those for recreational skaters.

Competitors work toward one goal: a picture-perfect triple jump, regardless of the wear and tear on the ankles, knees and hips.

Recreational skaters hope one day to do a figure eight backward. They expect to land on their rear ends now and then.

Competitive skaters pretty much know the risks by the time they go for the gold. Those risks come primarily from one skill: jumping. The process of jumping - and making it look easy and graceful while slamming into the ice on one foot - can over time result in sprains, twists, broken bones and minor and major surgery that can be as severe as hip replacements.

However, doctors say for recreational skaters, the risks generally are no more than any other sport. Here are some of the most common problems:
Joint injuries. Most recreational skating injuries happen above the waist and are caused by falls, says Dr.
Michael Cannon
, professor of family medicine and sports medicine at
St. Louis University
. A fall can injure wrists, elbows and shoulders. Older women should be aware of their risk for osteoporosis before participating in a pastime that could result in a fall. Often, good conditioning - doing weight exercises and being in good shape - will help prevent injuries.

Cannon notes that for recreational skaters, a fall on ice is no different than a fall anywhere else. If pain continues and the bruising is severe, see a doctor.
Tendinitis. This tends to be a problem more for competitors than for recreational skaters, said Dr.
Matt Matava
, an orthopedist with
Washington University
. Tendinitis occurs most often when those super-supportive skates rub against the tendons in the ankles or the tendons are stretched or bent unnaturally when a skater lands from a high-speed jump. Recreational skaters who may get on the ice one or two times a week generally don't face that problem, he said.
Back and rear-end aches. Falling on the behind presents its own set of problems. Over time, it can result in compressed discs, especially in the lower back.

Matava warned about a stealth injury from falling on the buttocks: A broken coccyx (also called the tailbone). That can break at a young age and not cause pain until the person gets older. By then it has healed in an unnatural and painful position and it may take surgery to ease the pain and even remove the bone. Be alert to pr longed pain that doesn't hinder movement.

The older you get, the more danger you face from compressed discs resulting from a fall. Over time a compressed disc can squeeze the spine and cause pain in other areas, usually lower than the disc. Relief can require therapy or surgery.
The cold. Cold, dry air can trigger exercise-induced asthma or simply coughing in children and adults. You may need medication. Ice rinks are full of people with inhalers.
Accidents. This comes from one form of overdoing it - trying things you're not skilled enough to do safely. Skating rinks tend to be surrounded by barriers and walls. Slamming into them is problematic. Statistics show that figure skaters actually end up with more speed- and fall-related injuries than beginning hockey players.
Pushing the kids. "Kids want to play; parents want to win," said Cannon. Let a child decide if he or she wants competition or to grow in figure skating, speed skating or hockey, he said. Pushing a child to excel is a formula for sports injuries and burnout in a singular sport like skating, he said.

Marilyn Meunier, skating director for the Creve Coeur skating program, noted that many of the long-term health problems of even the top competitive skaters "come from pushing the kids to do triple jumps before puberty. Parents want more."

She has a formula that's worked for her. "When the children stop smiling on the ice, that's when it's too much."